Northwest Immigrant Rights Project – Bilingual (Spanish) Staff Attorney

A significant portion of the attorneys responsibilities will be to provide legal services under the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), which is funded by the Executive Office for Immigration Review and managed by the Vera Institute. Through the LOP, NWIRP staff give detained individuals essential information about court procedures and available options for legal relief prior to their immigration hearing. The LOP consists of four primary components: (1) group orientations; (2) individual sessions; (3) self-help training in the form of pro se workshops; and (4) referral of cases to pro bono attorneys. Information about the LOP can be found at the Department of Justice website (http://www.justice.gov/eoir/probono/probono.htm) and the Vera Institute website (http://www.vera.org/project/legal-orientation-program).

In addition to LOP work, roughly half of the attorney’s time will be spent providing direct representation to detained persons in removal proceedings, including representation at the Tacoma or Seattle Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit court of appeals.

This position will be located at the NWIRP office in Tacoma, Washington.
Tacoma is located approximately 35 miles south of Seattle.

RESPONSIBILITIES
* Provide direct representation to detained clients in Immigration Court, on appeal to the Board of Immigration Court or before the federal courts, and before the Department of Homeland Security, under funding separate from LOP;
* Conduct daily presentations, workshops and consultations in Spanish and English to persons
detained at the immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington;
* Conduct self-help workshops for unrepresented detainees seeking relief from removal;
* Communicate regularly with stakeholders from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
Tacoma Immigration Court, and Geo Group (private contractor for the facility);
* Perform administrative tasks related to LOP;
* Maintain a working knowledge of significant policies, laws and trends in immigration law,
particularly as it impacts low-income immigrants and refugees ; and
* Engage in outreach and education in the area of immigrant rights.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES
* Law degree (will consider a law student scheduled to graduate in spring of 2012);
* Admission to the bar of any state in the U.S. (will consider a law student or recent law graduate scheduled to take the bar in July of 2012);
* Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights;
* Excellent written and oral communication skills;
* Commitment to working in a diverse and challenging working environment;
* Fluent in English and Spanish;
* Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently; and
* Proficiency in use of MS Word, MS Access, and MS Excel.
Beginning salary is $43,160 or DOE, plus benefits. Applicant is expected to start no later than June 2012.

To APPLY

Send cover letter, resume and references to: [email protected] with the subject Tacoma Staff Attorney Application. Position is open until filled; full consideration will be given to those who apply by April 13, 2012.